https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2847841126?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

4 stars! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review. I love all of Brianna's books.

3.5/5 - They are both control freaks...

** TRIGGER WARNING ** this story deals with eating disorders.

Stian is great I like him a lot as the Hero. He’s controlling in all the appropriate ways. Lacey is a control freak unto herself. She controls when, how, and what she eats. Lacey was cool until the 70% point. I sympathized with her and The Who anorexia thing. Then she really went CRAZY! And that’s also when I stopped liking the book.

Lacey’s brand of crazy was a little over the top. And when they moved away from Stian’s office that’s when the story got hard to digest... which I’m sure is the point. Brianna Hale writes amazingly, I love her books. This one for some reason just started bugging me.

I also had issue with the whole “subspace” situation. I get the whole : “Your kink is not my kink but your kink is ok” belief — my problem is The was its talked about. “I’m going to put you in subspace” or Lacey falls into subspace from oral sex, WHAT?!

One other thing that bothers me that authors do sometimes is include a note to the reader. Usually this in the beginning of the book or sneakily slipped in at the end when they know they most likely covered some stuff that isn’t main stream or they aren’t 100% confident about. To me it’s the “please don’t review this book negatively because... “ This book has one and it’s concerning the BDSM and eating disorder. It’s almost laughable to call this book BDSM, at most it’s light, Ms. Hale can write kink but not in the book. In my opinion the kink terminology isn’t handled appropriately.

FYI:

Oral, manual, penetrative sex. Spanking, collaring, nipple torture, and leash. Also, kneeling, forced orgasm.

* I was provided an ARC by NetGalley for a honest review

I went into this book with a preconceived notion. The blurb, the cover, led me to think I knew exactly what I was going to get. But this book was so much more than that. With layer, upon layer, of emotion this story pulled me in until my gut was twisted, my heart felt wrenched out of my chest, and my cheeks were wet with tears. And I loved every freaking moment of it!

The angst of this story is not within the relationship between Lacey and her boss, Stian. Nor is it because he is fifteen years older than her. The angst revolves around a voice in Lacey’s head. A voice that abuses her on a constant loop, a voice she has pushed firmly into a box in her mind, a voice that refuses to stay there.

I’ve never read a book with a heroine that suffers from anorexia that has struck such a chord with me as this one did. I was expecting the author’s note to share her own experiences with the disease. To know that she researched this topic to such a degree and was then able to make me feel all of Lacey’s pain, simply amazes me.

“I wish I were one of your bonsai plants,” I whisper, not looking him. “I wish I could feel like there was one reason for me to be. One thing I had to do.” I wish I had someone who understands what I need and is there for the worst parts, as he is now. “I feel different when I’m around you. I like you very much and wish you could…”

I choke the words off because I’m not treading in dangerous waters now, I’m walking right into a deep, shark-infested ocean with stones in my pocket.”

If the above topic and my jabbering on about it turns you off, stop please, because there is a deep, rich, emotional relationship that develops within the pages of this book. And it is this relationship that takes center stage.

Stian was nothing like I expected. “Control Freak”? Perhaps a bit, but not in the way I imagined. He was never harsh (other than when he first met Lacey) or mean as many dominants seem to be in the books I’ve read. He was so careful and kind, gentle and loving with everything to do with Lacey. But he also knew she needed a place and time to get out of her head. Enter the lite BDSM, spanking, and Daddy Dom/Little Girl element.

I usually get aggravated with these elements, but not so in this case. It was laid out in such beautiful symmetry with the characters both in a place to accept it and the hero never crossing a line or even attempting to do so. It was done with love and care and I couldn’t get enough of it.

This book is so much more than sex, a hero in control, or Lacey’s disease. It digs deep into the characters with all the good and the bad that makes up their psyche, and then lays them out for the reader to see. It’s very fast paced, not long in length, and never repetitive. The chemistry between the hero and heroine absolutely sizzles across the pages, and there is no push and pull. Reading this book has been an absolutely beautiful experience!

Rounding up from 4.5 stars.

This is the first book by Brianna Hale that I have read. I will just come right out and say it, if you have issues with BDSM or DD/lg (although in this case it is "good girl") then this is not the book for you. If you are sensitive to or triggered by very frank description and discussion about eating disorders then this is definitely not the book for you. You have been warned.

Now BDSM and DD/lg are tropes I have read before with very mixed opinions but I feel like this is a book that really uses those themes very well. I was initially alarmed by just how fragile the young heroine in this story was portrayed but I was actually intrigued by the story of her struggle to recover. While this certainly isn't a traditional romance, it is a fascinating love story worth exploring.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

ARC received for review

Stian is bossy and Lacey is a wimp. Plus the whole story was just weird. I'm still not sure how I finished it. I guess I was waiting on her to grow up.

In my many hours perusing Instagram I came across a post with this cover and a blurb and instantly I was intrigued. Okay, I lie, I was more than intrigued. It might as well have been a Siren calling me to my death. I was mesmerized. I needed to read it. I went on a mad search looking for it. My sleuthing skills paid off because I discovered it on Netgalley and requested an ARC. Something I rarely do, and not expecting a response back. Color me surprised that I was chosen to read this book. I still had no idea what to expect other than the blurb. I am glad for that because by going in blind and seeing the way that the author wrote this story allowed me to truly appreciate this story in a way with no preconceived notions.

The age gap "daddy" is not a sub-genre that I normally read. Yet, if they were all written as exceptionally well as this one I might change my mind. I liked that the author played on the notion of "control" in this story. This had a different connotation to the word depending on the character. It also has a duality in BDSM with the idea that even though the Dominant wields the power, it is, in fact, the Submissive that truly has the power. For both Stian and Lacey, they have their own idea of needing to control something> without giving away spoilers, I will just say that it was beautiful and painful to watch as both grappled with needing it and having it be allusive in so many ways. My heart hurt at times as I watched as the helplessness of something was just out of reach and how they both tried so hard to have the hope that it wouldn't be this way forever. The steamy times in this book were very well done and I could definitely see the correlation of how this might help someone like Lacey. Yet, it is important to note that it wasn't a way to "fix" but rather give structure.

This author put a lot of work into creating a backdrop of the story, complete with history and traditions in order to enhance the storyline and the characters. She also talked about something not often read about in romance and portrayed it with such care and kindness. I, as a reader, appreciated that because I am familiar with it, not personally but with a family member. Adding in the secondary characters was much needed and showed that this was not just a plot device to add drama to the story. It made me appreciate the story that much more and made it feel as if this was truly a real couple conquering an obstacle in their journey of life.

Normally, I question the insane amount of time that I spend on IG. However, since it gave me this stunning book to add to my insane amount of books that I have read in 2019, I will say that time was well spent. Kudos to the author. I am a huge fan.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Control Freak comes out June 27th. Be sure to grab a copy!

3.5-4 stars

I was delightfully surprised by Control Freak. I thought I was going to read the "same old" erotica short book, but that is not what I got. Told in dual POV, Control Freak follows the lives of Lucy, a recovering anorexic, and Stian, a museum owner with controlling tendencies. Lucy lands a job working for Stian as his assistant when things heat up between them.

Stian sounds sexy. A Scandinavian tattooed boss man who likes to be in control? Sign me up. He was portrayed as very mature and levelheaded. He didn't do anything dramatic or overbearing like men sometimes do in books like these. Stian is 39, while Lucy is a 24 YO virgin. Why do they always have to be virgins?? *eye roll* I mean I get it because it goes with the whole submissive aspect, but still.
I loved the culture entwined in the writing. Greek mythology, Nordic history, and Swedish language made an appearance throughout the book, which pleasantly surprised me and gave it a different side than what you normally see in erotica. Another thing that made Control Freak standout was the fact that Lucy was a recovering anorexic. This is a very heavy topic that I feel was handled with class. At first, I didn't know if I liked that the author included this in the story line, but after finishing it, I have decided that it makes the book stand out from your normal romance. It opens your eyes to the daily struggles that people with eating disorders go through. I loved how the author had Stian deal with the situation and the grace he showed Lucy. He showed her how to love herself and helped her gain confidence in herself. There is nothing more a man can do for a woman than to show her that she is enough, to help bring out her confidence, and to love her despite her flaws. I also appreciated that there wasn't insta-love. For being under 200 pages and an erotica, I had expected this, but was pleasantly surprised when their relationship was a normal span of time.

For being an erotica novel, there wasn't as many sex scenes as I thought there would be, but were tastefully scattered throughout the book. Every so often sex scenes can be overbearing and happen way to often, however, at times I was left with wanting more. I am not huge on "punishment" in BDSM, but the scenes were written pretty mildly, with some spanking and choking. There wasn't much variety to the sex, they mostly did the same things every time. As Control Freak went on, the idea of dom/sub got lost in the midst of everything that Lucy was going through. I would've liked to see that explored more as it was the premise of the book.

Control Freak was an amazing, quick read that I read in one sitting. If you are a fan of erotica, but want something different from what is out there, this book is for you. There are some light triggers, which are as follows: Eating disorders, depression, choking, spanking.

1.5 stars
This book was not really my thing. I Had a few issues with it and then I finally threw in the towel and gave up. I need more romance in my stories.

I really wish that they had had the note about it dealing with an eating disorder here like they do on Goodreads. Because if they had, I would not have requested it. Not because I have one, but because I don't enjoy reading about things like that and/or people healing from whatever ails them. It's just not my thing. To be fair, based on the synopsis, it wasn't my usual type from the beginning but I wanted to give it a shot because it was so short. Also note that this is a daddy dom thing. Which is something I will never understand. I can't be the only one thinking it's just not right to be having sex with someone you call daddy. I'm sorry, that's what I call my REAL father. Just saying.

At the risk of pissing lots of people off, I'll be honest about why this got 2 stars from me. I have a personality flaw. A big one if my mother is to be believed. I have no empathy. Like, at all. I am an analytical thinker, so emotional situations confuse me when I can't understand why somebody is all upset or they can't do something I think is so simple. In reality, I try hard to figure out the correct thing to say or do in these situations. In fiction, I don't want to have to. So because I could not understand Lacey's fight against her other self and why it was so hard for her, a lot of the book bored me and I just couldn't care.

That's not to say that whole book was bad. I actually rather liked a fair amount of it. In the beginning. Despite Stian being so much older than Lacey, I thought that they were absolutely perfect together. I can understand Lacey's desire to be told what to do and have somebody to give her life structure. She finds that in Stian. At first as her boss, but soon as her lover of a sort. I don't believe that Stian is your typical dom, but he handles Lacey perfectly. And for a few weeks both of them are extremely happy.

It's when their time working together comes to an end and Stian still wants to be with Lacey in a normal relationship that she spirals out of control. It's also where the story lost me. Lacey panics at this prospect and believing that she doesn't deserve it and can never have "normal", lets her anorexia take over again. So she ends up back in the ward and seemingly giving up on herself. Stian won't give up on her though and in the end, Lacey has made a ton of progress. It even had a rather sweet ending.

I will say that the author seems to have done her research on this subject. Not that I would know, but everything Lacey goes thru and what we see in the other patients is believable.

I guess in the end this just serves as another reminder why I should remain firmly entrenched in paranormal fiction.

This was so not what I expected in the best way possible. I thought this was gonna be just another run of the mill erotic romance but it was so much more. Yes there's some erotica in it but it's not the focus of the story which is good. The book tackles a hard subject of anorexia and in my opinion does it brilliantly (I have no first or second hand experience with anorexia so I don't know much about it but it seems that Ms. Hale did an extensive research on it for this book which is commendable). And the characters are likable so you can sympathize and feel with them. This was my first Brianna Hale book but it defenitely won't be the last.

I'm torn with this book. What started out as a sexy, kinky Daddy/good girl office romance quickly escalated into a young women battling the demons of anorexia.
Stian is the control freak this encompasses his professional career and personal life. Lacey needs a little guidance in her life as she's been struggling with depression and anorexia for years. The pair are brought together through their love of art and work well together.
I thought the author does a good job with the age gap relationship, Daddy kink but I wish she would have stuck too the romance between them. It was a bit heavy and not what I had anticipated when I began reading g it.

Wow! This one is steamy! I have been exploring the world of romance, seeing what I like and this one was recommended to me by a friend. I thought the characters were well written and there was a great build up and setting for the story. However, this one probably pushed the limits of the kind of romance I read. Very descriptive!!

This one is recommend for those who like BDSM and domination and submission.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a dirty, sexy read and I enjoyed every bit of it. It was very steamy and hot and also dealt with some very real issues in a healthy, well done manner.

Sizzling romance with all the feels and sensitive subjects handled so great.

I loved this cover first of all. Then after reading the blurb I saw that Stian is a Dom and Lacey a submissive who happens to have anorexia issues and I was afraid this would become something like him helping to cure her by ordering her to eat. I knew that wouldn’t be realistic since Anorexia is all about control over what food is put into the body. So I was very happy to find out that both subjects are handled extremely well in this book.

It was a hot romance between the two main characters, starting out as an office romance and the passion is quite steamy between them. It is not insta-love. Though it does happen fairly fast. The storyline about her disease is pretty awesome but is not what the entire book’s focus is about. It is a romance and I truly enjoyed it. Well done on all fronts to Brianna Hale.

This was a complimentary copy from netgalley - many thanks

I have read some Brianna Hale before so was pleased to be approved to read this

If you like your heroes strong - as in Dom - this is for you

Fast paced, steamy romance with a happy ending

Loved it - highly recommend as a holiday read

This book was a little different than what I usually read. There was some dom and sub going on in the story. My heart went out to Lacey dealing with her anorexia. I learned a lot about anorexia and what people go through dealing with it. I loved how Stian was patient with Lacey during the book. All in all it was a good book!

I loved this book to the depth! It was so hot and my heart legit betrayed me over the hero! Just LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK!! ALL THE DETAILS, SCENES, CHARACTERS WERE JUST AWESOME AND I NEED MORE BOOKS LIKE THIS IN MY LIFE!! BRIANNA HALE Just did it again and never fails to disappoint me. People can learn so much from this book, everything was there, romance, erotic romance, kinky romance!!! I AM WILLING TO BE THE SUGAR BABY IF I CAN GET A DADDY LIKE THE MAIN HERO! He was such a good daddy and I loved how he accepted Lacey, her dreams, wishes, flaws!

Lacey is a strong girl,, and she deserves the world. She is now one of my favorite heroine's. They compliment each other so much and I loved their relationship and chemistry.

Goodreads- Miftahul ♥️MsLovesReading♥️

Stain wants control of EVERYTHING. And when he gets involved with someone that's no different.
Lacey has had a hard life. She struggles to control anything and so she finds unhealthy ways to control the wrong things.
Stain and Lacey might be perfect for each other if their battles for control can withstand life.

This book wasn't what I expected, but in a good way. I was expecting an extremely dirty book basked on the cover and title. What I got was a romance story filled with struggle, hardship, understanding, and hope. Well worth the read.

Is it clear now that after 2 books by Mrs. Hale with the same Leitmotiv, I have daddy issues, but that said, I think she did her homework in regard of anorexia. Still no my cup of tea but at last she didn't underestimate the problem.

Ormai mi é chiaro che dopo due libri della Sig.ra Hale con lo stesso Leitmotiv, io ho problemi con la figura genitoriale, specialmente nel contesto in cui la usa lei, ma a parte questo, devo dire che tutto sommato prima di scrivere di anoressia si é informata parecchio e non l'ha sottovalutata né trattata in modo superficiale. Comunque non é il mio genere....

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with a copy of Control Freak in exchange for my review.

Stian's patience and understanding for Lacey was so beautiful. This book hooked me from the beginning and I flew right through it. I wish the book was longer so I could feel a little more for the characters. I enjoyed the book but was left feeling like I didn't connect with the character because it was so short.